|
Hotel California Lyrics
On a dark desert highway, cool wind in my hair
Warm smell of colitas, rising up through the air Up ahead in the distance, I saw a shimmering light My head grew heavy and my sight grew dim I had to stop for the night There she stood in the doorway; I heard the mission bell And I was thinking to myself, 'This could be Heaven or this could be Hell' Then she lit up a candle and she showed me the way There were voices down the corridor, I thought I heard them say... Welcome to the Hotel California Such a lovely place Such a lovely face Plenty of room at the Hotel California Any time of year, you can find it here Her mind is Tiffany-twisted, she got the Mercedes-Benz She got a lot of pretty, pretty boys, that she calls friends How they dance in the courtyard, sweet summer sweat. Some dance to remember, some dance to forget So I called up the Captain, 'Please bring me my wine' He said, 'We haven't had that spirit here Since nineteen sixty nine' And still those voices are calling from far away, Wake you up in the middle of the night Just to hear them say... Welcome to the Hotel California Such a lovely place Such a lovely face They livin' it up at the Hotel California What a nice surprise, bring your alibis Mirrors on the ceiling, The pink champagne on ice And she said 'We are all just prisoners here, of our own device And in the master's chambers, They gathered for the feast The stab it with their steely knives But they just can't kill the beast Last thing I remember, I was Running for the door I had to find the passage back To the place I was before 'Relax,' said the night man, We are programmed to receive. You can checkout any time you like, but you can never leave! |
You must be logged in to post your comments.
Feel free to create an account with us, or log in with your existing account, to start adding your comments to songs.
Send Lyrics to a Friend
12-12-2008
None of them had ever been there before and they were writing about how dreams can come alive in Los Angeles, and how they can also die. Don Henley and Glen wrote most of the words. "All of us kind of drove into LA at night. Nobody was from California, and if you drive into LA at night... you can just see this glow on the horizon of lights, and the images that start running through your head of Hollywood and all the dreams that you have, and so it was kind of about that... what we started writing the song about. Coming into LA... ". The term "colitas" in the first stanza of the song is a desert flower, also known as Antelope sage or Colita de Rata. The use of the word "steely" in the lyric (referring to knives) was a playful nod to band Steely Dan, who had included the lyric "Turn up the Eagles, the neighbors are listening" in their famous song "Everything You Did", according to Glenn Frey's liner notes for The Very Best of Eagles.
You must be logged in to post your comments.
Feel free to create an account with us, or log in with your existing account, to start adding your comments to songs.
12-14-2008
You must be logged in to post your comments.
Feel free to create an account with us, or log in with your existing account, to start adding your comments to songs.
12-16-2008
The last two stanzas truly clarify this assertion.
"We are all just prisoners here of our own device" means that "johns" who patronize escorts are addicts to the sexual addiction. "They stab is with their steely knives but they just can't kill the beast" has its meaning as well. Even though the term "Steely" is a respectful, subliminal attribute to the band Steely Dan, the "steely knife" is the erected penis hot for the hooker. "...but they just can't kill 'the beast'" means that no matter how many times they fill their sexual desires, the desire will never be truly fulfilled.
Just like any addiction, there is immediate guilt after the act (whether it's gambling, pyromania or drugs), which is why Henley and Frey wrote "Next thing I remember I was running for the door. I had to find the passage back to the place I was before." However, even though this particular fulfillment of sexual addiction has been accomplished, it will be necessary to fulfill it again and again and again. The last words to this ominous song indicate this by saying "You can check out any time you like, but you can never leave."
My guess is that either Henley or Frey had (or likely still have) a sexual addiction. Nobody else could write such a fitting song for a sex addict unless they've lived it. Those who live with this seemingly harmless addiction (as strong as it can be) will agree with my interpretation.
This is the best song that has ever been written, in my humble opinion. It's combination of major and minor chord shifts boggle the mind and takes the listener on a journey.
You must be logged in to post your comments.
Feel free to create an account with us, or log in with your existing account, to start adding your comments to songs.
12-17-2008
I mean the way he see's the hotel at the beginning of the song it looks bright and magnificent and then as the song progresses it turns into a nightmare he wants to escape
I dont know just an opinion
You must be logged in to post your comments.
Feel free to create an account with us, or log in with your existing account, to start adding your comments to songs.
12-28-2008
During a July 17, 2008 appearance on The Howard Stern Show on Sirius Satellite Radio, Don Felder described the origins of the lyrics:[citation needed]
"Don Henley and Glen wrote most of the words. All of us kind of drove into LA at night. Nobody was from California, and if you drive into LA at night... you can just see this glow on the horizon of lights, and the images that start running through your head of Hollywood and all the dreams that you have, and so it was kind of about that... what we started writing the song about. Coming into LA... and from that Life In The Fast Lane came out of it, and Wasted Time and a bunch of other songs."
thats it thing what you want but thats what they were thinking when they wrote the song...look it up for yourself if you dont believe me
You must be logged in to post your comments.
Feel free to create an account with us, or log in with your existing account, to start adding your comments to songs.
01-02-2009
some of the lyrics just sound like he's being haunted.
but it might just be because it sounds kind of eerie.
You must be logged in to post your comments.
Feel free to create an account with us, or log in with your existing account, to start adding your comments to songs.
01-09-2009
A lot of the people that become famous end up losing themselves in fame and fortune. Drugs and sex. No matter how hard they try to escape the celeb life, they can't get away from criticism and tabloids. Once you take that leap into the lime light, there's no way to get out.
However, the comment about drug use and addiction seems to be a great explanation as well. I have no idea. There are facts supporting the idea of a cult, however this is not what the song is about. The sanctuary was called "Hotel California", but seeing as how there is no relevant or metaphorical reference to religion or Satanism, that would probably not be a good explanation.
You must be logged in to post your comments.
Feel free to create an account with us, or log in with your existing account, to start adding your comments to songs.
01-09-2009
The lady represents the devil
The song is about drug addiction, the hotel IS drug, you can never leave!
You must be logged in to post your comments.
Feel free to create an account with us, or log in with your existing account, to start adding your comments to songs.
01-14-2009
"There were voices down the corridor,
I thought I heard them say...
Welcome to the Hotel California
Such a lovely place
Such a lovely face
Plenty of room at the Hotel California
Any time of year, you can find it here"
The others chanting from thier rooms
"Her mind is Tiffany-twisted"
"What a nice surprise, bring your alibis "
Say your not crazy
'We are all just prisoners here, of our own device
you choose to go there
You must be logged in to post your comments.
Feel free to create an account with us, or log in with your existing account, to start adding your comments to songs.
01-21-2009
You must be logged in to post your comments.
Feel free to create an account with us, or log in with your existing account, to start adding your comments to songs.
01-23-2009
You must be logged in to post your comments.
Feel free to create an account with us, or log in with your existing account, to start adding your comments to songs.
02-04-2009
You must be logged in to post your comments.
Feel free to create an account with us, or log in with your existing account, to start adding your comments to songs.
02-13-2009
You must be logged in to post your comments.
Feel free to create an account with us, or log in with your existing account, to start adding your comments to songs.
02-18-2009
You must be logged in to post your comments.
Feel free to create an account with us, or log in with your existing account, to start adding your comments to songs.
02-19-2009
You must be logged in to post your comments.
Feel free to create an account with us, or log in with your existing account, to start adding your comments to songs.
02-19-2009
its about how one might want to go to california and hollywood for fame - "we are all just prisoners here of our own device." this is also a drug reference because thats what a druggee is
"this could be heaven or this could be hell" drugs could make one happy or screw up one's life. and lighting up a candle refers to drugs.
"her mind is tiffany-twisted" - reference to being screwed up by drugs.
"some dance to remember, some dance to forget." - some do drugs to have a good time and some do to forget how bad their life might be.
"they stab it with their steely knives but they just cant kill the beast." - the beast being the addiction
"last thing i remember..." - because hes high
"i was running for the door. i had to find the passage back to the place i was before." - he tries to quit his addiction and go back to the way it was before.
"relax said the night man we are programed to recieve. you can check out anytime you want, but you can never leave." - you cant escape it so dont try. you can stop doing drugs but you will always want to use them and might give in and start doing drugs again
You must be logged in to post your comments.
Feel free to create an account with us, or log in with your existing account, to start adding your comments to songs.
02-26-2009
"We haven't had that spirit here/Since nineteen sixty nine"
"We are all just prisoners here/Of our own device"
"We are programmed to receive/You can checkout any time you like/But you can never leave!"
And the variations "I thought they heard them say"
You must be logged in to post your comments.
Feel free to create an account with us, or log in with your existing account, to start adding your comments to songs.
02-28-2009
You must be logged in to post your comments.
Feel free to create an account with us, or log in with your existing account, to start adding your comments to songs.
03-04-2009
You must be logged in to post your comments.
Feel free to create an account with us, or log in with your existing account, to start adding your comments to songs.
03-12-2009
This is about materialism and excess. California is used as the setting, but it could relate to anywhere in America. Don Henley in the London Daily Mail November 9, 2007 said: "Some of the wilder interpretations of that song have been amazing. It was really about the excesses of American culture and certain girls we knew. But it was also about the uneasy balance between art and commerce."
There thats what it's about. But I can see how you would think so.
You must be logged in to post your comments.
Feel free to create an account with us, or log in with your existing account, to start adding your comments to songs.
03-22-2009
You must be logged in to post your comments.
Feel free to create an account with us, or log in with your existing account, to start adding your comments to songs.
04-04-2009
"Warm smell of colitas, rising up through the air"
- Colitas is a type of marijuana grown in the hills of california that has a special/unique type of scent.
"I had to stop for the night
There she stood in the doorway;
I heard the mission bell
And I was thinking to myself,
'This could be Heaven or this could be Hell'"
- She is refered to the drug(marijuana), you can have a fun time with it or a bad time
"Then she lit up a candle and she showed me the way"
- Lit up the marijuana and it started to effect him...he got all happy,etc. thats why they say we havent had this spirit since 1969, when marijuana used to be a big hit
"Some dance to remember, some dance to forget"
- same take it to remember good times and have fun, some take marijuana to forget about bad things and get away from stuff
"Wake you up in the middle of the night
Just to hear them say... "
- you grow addicted to eat
"I had to find the passage back
To the place I was before"
- he was addicted to it, it started to be unhealthy he wanted to be back to normal then refers to
"you can check out, but never leave"
- once your in it, you can get out of it...
theres a lot more metaphors you can use but yah just a little interperatation
hotel california, he used california cause this is sort of the lifestyle in southern california lots of people do drugs to get away from problems or to have fun, not gonna go into detail but yah
You must be logged in to post your comments.
Feel free to create an account with us, or log in with your existing account, to start adding your comments to songs.
04-13-2009
You must be logged in to post your comments.
Feel free to create an account with us, or log in with your existing account, to start adding your comments to songs.
04-13-2009
You must be logged in to post your comments.
Feel free to create an account with us, or log in with your existing account, to start adding your comments to songs.
04-29-2009
H otel
C alifornia
is referring to THC. The song starts out and the speaker is weak "my head grew heavy and my sight grew dim, i had to stop for the night". they are then introduced to the drug with "she" being a reference to the drug or addiction in the song. At first they are a little skeptical about it. the second verse talks about how many people are addicted and that some peopple do it to remember good times, and some do it to forget the bad times. When it refers to the mirrors its sayig that drugs are glamorized but once your addicted you can never really recover from it, the addiction will never die. At the end of the song the person wants desperatley to get back to the life they had before addiction but is not capable of doing so because of the stanglehold addiction has on you.
You must be logged in to post your comments.
Feel free to create an account with us, or log in with your existing account, to start adding your comments to songs.